The invention relates to railed tracks for supporting and transporting wheeled vehicles, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to portable tracks for camera dollies.
In motion picture, video and television production, smooth camera movement is achieved using a wheeled camera support platform referred to as a dolly, which typically runs on two parallel dolly tracks or rails. The tracks or rails provide a solid fixed path for the wheeled dolly to follow to thereby provide a precise, smooth moving camera shot. When filming on location, away from the studio, portable dolly tracks must be used.
In existing portable dolly tracks, there are typically provided a number of removably connected track sections, each having two tubular parallel rail sections pivotally joined by transverse spreaders. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,787 Saldana. The rails are supported on the spreaders, which pivot to permit folding. When unfolded, latches or fasteners extend between two adjacent spreaders between the rails and are tightened to maintain the rails in parallel relation.
Since the rails span the space between adjacent spreaders in existing portable dolly tracks, there can be a sag in the rail as the heavy dolly rolls over it, causing undesirable vertical movement in the camera shot. Also the location of the latches between the rails can interfere with movement of the wiring and cables connected to the camera as the dolly rolls and can interfere with the feet of the dolly operator or focus puller. Further, the metal surface of the rails can become dented or pitted which may harm a smooth camera shot. Consequently there is a need for a portable, collapsible dolly track which avoids the foregoing problems.
The present invention therefore provides a folding track section for a wheeled vehicle, comprising: i) a parallel pair of rails, each rail having a horizontal base, an upper cylindrical wheel-supporting rail element, and a vertically extending element joining the base and the upper wheel-supporting rail element; ii) male and female joining elements in the ends of the rails; iii) a transverse spacer element extending between and pivotally secured at each end to the rails further provided on each rail element with a removable, resilient cap and wherein the upper wheel-supporting element is configured to prevent the cap from rotation about its length-wise axis.
The present invention further provides a folding track section for a wheeled vehicle, comprising: i) a parallel pair of rails each rail having a horizontal base, an upper cylindrical wheel-supporting rail element, and a vertically extending element joining the base and the upper wheel-supporting rail element wherein the vertical element is provided with an aperture adjacent one end; ii) male and female joining elements in the ends of the rails; iii) a transverse spacer element extending between and pivotally secured at each end to the rails; and iv) a latch member secured to the rail and having a hooked end for engaging an aperture in the vertical member of an adjoining section.
The present invention further provides a folding track section for a wheeled vehicle, comprising: i) a parallel pair of rails, each rail having a horizontal base, an upper cylindrical wheel-supporting rail element, and a vertically extending element joining the base and the upper wheel-supporting rail element; ii) male and female joining elements in the ends of the rails; iii) a transverse spacer element extending between and pivotally secured at each end to the rails through a vertical pivot axis on the base element; wherein the vertical pivot axis comprises a horizontal support extending from and secured to the vertical element.